Friend Like You
by Pricat
Summary: Artie was feeling lonely and sad until he is saved by Aoia but she's no ordinary kid. But maybe Fate brought him something special through her.....
1. Chapter 1

**Friend Like You**

**A/N Another Artie fic. Huzzah! It's about him feeling lonely and a little down until he meets somebody who makes him feel better and understands him. Inspired after watching Bridge to Terabithia last night. I hope people enjoyeth.**

Artie was feeling a little..... lonely. Even though he was now King, he still felt alone like he had at Worchester and the pain hurt. Sure he had Shrek and the others now but they were busy or on adventures. He wished he could have a friend, somebody who understood him.

"Where're you going?" Lillian asked him.

"Just out and around Lillian." Artie replied sadly. He hated being so short with her but she understood. She knew he was a little lonely and was frustrated at being in the castle a lot.

"_I hope he finds what he's looking for. Maybe finding somebody will make him happy again like he was when he first was crowned." _she thought sighing.

Artie walked through the streets of the kingdom and was sad seeing a group of kids aged sixteen. He sighed sadly.

"Look at the dork!

Where's your friends, loser?" they said crowding around him. Artie was nervous and tried to run away but was frozen in fear.

This reminded him of Worchester when Lance and the others picked on him.

"Hey leave him alone!" a voice yelled. A kid stood in their way. The kid wore a black bandanna around their neck, goggles on their brown hair, punk clothes and had their ears pierced.

The person was slender.

The kids ran off at this strange kid.

Artie felt fear as the kid helped him up.

But he realised it was a girl. She'd taken care of those kids using karate.

"You okay?

You look really scared." she told him.

He nodded in reply.

"I-I'm Artie.

Thanks for helping me." he said softly to her lost in her blue eyes.

"You're welcome.

I'm Aoia.

I moved here a week ago. Those kids were mean to me too and took my goggles until I used karate on them." she told him.

Artie smiled broadly at her.

She reminded him of Fiona.

"You're seventeen, right?" Aoia asked him.

He nodded.

"Yeah. My birthday's in the Fall." he said hearing a royal page call him.

"Who's that Artie and why is he calling you?" she asked him.

"Umm..... I've got to go.

It's my Aunt." he told her.

"Bummer.

See you tomorrow then?" she replied.

He nodded.

"You know it, goodbye!" he replied running off.......

Artie was very quiet as he sat at the table in the dining room that night. He'd really enjoyed Aoia's company but was worried because if she found out he was royalty, she would be weird around him and treat him differently like others in the kingdom did because he was King.

"You okay Artie?" Lillian asked her nephew.

"Yeah I'm fine." he answered her.

The page had told her that Artie had been with some strange looking kid and was curious but happy that Artie had a friend. She wondered why he hadn't mentioned anything.

Aoia sighed sadly as she made camp in the forest. She wanted to tell Artie her secret but knew he would treat her differently if he found out she had no home and that her father had died.

But she was also a princess but hid it from other kids.

She hoped that Artie would be her friend.....


	2. The things We Keep Secret

**Friend Like You**

Aoia woke up early morning as the sun rose. She'd been thinking about Artie before she'd fallen asleep last night. She knew that others in her home kingdom thought she was strange and shouldn't be the heir. That was why she'd left after her father had passed away. She adjusted her goggles on her forehead.

She wasn't like normal girls who wore pink and were airheads like the ones in many kingdoms.

"Maybe he'd understand if he knew my secret." she told herself. She ventured out into Far, Far Away. Most of the people were wary of her but Artie didn't see anything odd in her.

He just saw somebody who was his friend.

Artie wondered if he'd see Aoia again but kept this to himself. He'd had dreams last night involving Aoia.

He was always reminded of Fiona when he saw her especially yesterday when she'd kicked those kids butts.

He then heard wheels as he walked through the streets of the kingdom as he saw Aoia on a skateboard.

"S'up Artie?

You feeling better than yesterday?" she asked him but he was in awe. She was amazing with karate and now skateboarding too.

"....Sorry if I'm too weird. It's..... just I loved skate boarding since I was little. My Dad taught me." she said looking away from him.

"Cool man." Artie replied as he followed her through the streets of the kingdom to a skate park. He was nervous about this especially as he had never done this kind of thing before.

"Are you sure that girl Artie met is a princess? She doesn't look like any I've seen before." Lillian said to a page.

He nodded.

"Yes but she ran away before she could be crowned. Artie doesn't know this but.... maybe this could work.

His Highness's eighteen birthday is coming up and he needs a Queen." he replied to her.

Lillian nodded in reply at that. She knew that Artie needed to marry and maybe this girl was perfect for him but she wasn't sure about this. She felt it was Artie's right to choose this since he was King....

By the time the sun set, Artie had a lot of wounds and bruises over him from skateboarding but it had been fun.

"You were great out there.

You just need to practise more, that's all. I hope I won't get you in trouble with your Aunt. She might be freaked by your wounds and be mad at me." Aoia told him.

Artie laughed at her gently.

It sounded like music to her.

"Nah she'll be cool.

She'll understand once I explain." he answered as he went off. Aoia smiled wistfully as she saw him leave her. She wondered where he lived because he never mentioned where he lived or how he'd came to Far, Far Away but she felt a chill run down her spine as she saw somebody enter the kingdom.

It was her sister who hated her and wanted her kingdom for herself. She was also a powerful witch and had deadly magic at her finger tips. She looked like Aoia but didn't have kindess or love in her heart.

"So she is here after all and hanging out with the King eh?

This could work for me.." she cackled evilly......

"Hey guys." Artie said entering the dining room for dinner with a few plasters on his face where he'd hurt it skate boarding. Lillian looked a little worried seeing that.

"Artie what happened?" she asked him.

"Oh the wounds?

They came from skate boarding with Aoia.

It was pretty cool.

You should meet her sometime.

She's awesome!" Artie replied to her drinking from his goblet.

"Artie..... have you told her that you're King?" Lillian began not sure how to go on.

"......No I didn't. I know what'll happen if she finds out.

She'll treat me differently like everybody else and our friendship will be screwed." Artie replied sadly, hurt in those emerald eyes of his.

"We need to tell you that you need to find a Queen.

You know your eighteenth birthday is coming up soon and it's important that the kingdom has a Queen just as it does a King.

I'm sure a nice girl would like you.

You're funny, charming and smart the way you talked those villains out of hurting our friends and family that night Charming tried to take over." Lillian told him but Artie nodded as the royal servants came into the room with lobster and other various tasty dishes.

He was thinking about Aoia right now.....


End file.
